Swell to 29,813 City Provisionals Increase By 259

Swell to 29,813 City Provisionals Increase By 259

The number of provisional workers in the city increased by 259, to 29,813, during the period that ended Nov. 30, the Department of Citywide Administrative Services said last week.

The increase marks the first hike in months, after provisionals were reduced by more than 400 over the past year.

According to DCAS, "pure" provisionals, meaning those with no permanent city job, increased by 419, to 19,538. The number of "step-up" provisionals with permanent status in a lower title decreased by 160, to 10,275, DCAS indicated in its quarterly report to Mayor Bloomberg.

Titles Where Jump Was

The report said that increases occurred primarily in five titles: Traffic Enforcement Agent, Juvenile Counselor, Child Protective Specialist, Call Center Representative, and Emergency Medical Specialist-EMT. The increases occurred as a result of hiring in various agencies, DCAS said.

The city continues to work to decrease the number of provisional appointees while minimizing the operational impact, the report said. DCAS recently administered 39 exams for various provisional-laden titles. Those titles include: Office Machine Aide, Maintenance Worker, Motor Vehicle Operator, Taxi and Limousine Inspector, Light Maintainer, Painter, and Electrician.

In addition, filing was open for 34 exams for titles including Research Assistant, Senior Special Officer, and City Planner.

The largest single category of provisionals consists of workers in clerical titles, reflecting high turnover in such jobs. The City Charter requires DCAS to report quarterly to the Mayor and other officials on the number of provisionallyappointed employees, the length of their provisional service, and the steps being taken to reduce their numbers.

City agencies are allowed to hire or promote workers provisionally when they face an immediate need and a list is not available. Provisionals are supposed to be made permanent Competitive-Class employees or be replaced within nine months by candidates drawn from lists, but this rule is often ignored.